Healthy Choices guidelines
The Victorian Government's Healthy Choices guidelines help make sure that healthy foods and drinks are offered and promoted in places like hospitals, health services, sport and recreation centres, parks and workplaces.
The Healthy Choices framework includes:
- a classification guide that explains the Victorian Government's traffic light system for classifying foods and drinks as GREEN (best choices), AMBER (choose carefully) or RED (limit).
- policy guidelines to support the implementation of Healthy Choices in hospitals and health services, sport and recreation centres, workplaces and parks and recreational reserves.
Read more about each resource below:
Healthy choices: food and drink classification guide
The Healthy choices: food and drink classification guide uses a traffic light system to classify foods and drinks as GREEN (best choices), AMBER (choose carefully) or RED (limit).
The guide describes foods and drinks in each category and explains how to decide which category a food or drink fits into.
Read more about the traffic light classification system, and what each category means.
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In February 2021, an updated version of the Healthy choices: food and drink classification guide was released, which includes additional information and criteria for some foods and drinks.
Changes include new criteria for high protein drinks and ready to eat mini meals, as well as updated criteria for milk, dips and crackers, tuna, ice creams, yoghurt, ready made meals, sauces and soups.
View the updated Healthy choices: food and drink classification guide and download our summary of the changes here.
These criteria changes are now reflected in FoodChecker, and some product classifications may change as a result. Click here to learn how the changes may affect previous FoodChecker assssments. |
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Policy guidelines
There are different policy documents to help you apply the Healthy Choices guidelines in hospitals and health services, workplaces, sport and recreation centres*, and parks.
You can download them from https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/preventive-health/nutrition/healthy-choices-for-retail-outlets-vending-machines-catering
The policy documents discuss important issues such as:
- providing healthy foods and drinks in retail outlets, vending machines and catering
- the importance of organisational policy and contracts about healthy foods and drinks
- food and drink advertising, promotion and display
- using foods and drinks for fundraising, prizes and give-aways
- sponsorship by food industry.
Online information
This website provides information and advice about putting Healthy Choices into practice, classifying foods and drinks, planning a healthy menu and recipes and food ideas.
Visit the workplaces, hospitals and health services, sport & recreation centres and parks, and universities, TAFEs and colleges sections of this website for practical advice about how to implement the Healthy Choices guidelines in your organisation.
Guide to counting foods and drinks in menu assessments
Use this guide to understand how to count food and drink items when doing a retail outlet menu assessment in FoodChecker.
This will ensure the percentages of GREEN, AMBER or RED food and drinks are calculated accurately according to the Victorian Government’s Healthy Choices guidelines.
